Tweezers



(NoModex.) E. N. PARKER.

TWBBZERS.

No. 561,176. Patented June 2, 1896.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS N. PARKER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TWEEZERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,176, dated J' une2, 1896. l Application filed February 8,1896. Serial No. 578,471. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAsTUs N. PARKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springiield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tweezers,ot` which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates, primarily, to printers tweezers used for pickingup type, and has for its object to combine therewith a printers bodkinso arranged that it can be secured upon the tweezers in position for useand can also be secured thereon in areversed position, with its pointhoused between the tweezerjaws, to enable the tool to be convenientlycarried in the pocket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple form of meansfor locking the jaws of tweezers and similar tools together when not inuse and acting by gravit-y to lock and unlock said jaws as the tool'isheld in reversed positions.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like parts inthe several views, Figure l is a side view of a pair of tweezersembodying the invention with the bodkin in its inoperative position andthe jaws locked together. Fig. 2 is a face View of the same with thebodkin in its operative position. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinalsection, drawn to a larger scale, showing the locking means. Fig. et isa face view of the inner side of one jaw, showing said locking means.Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal sec- Y tion showing the bodkin in itsoperative position. Fig. 6 is a cross -section taken at line x a: ofFig. 5.

The letters a and b designate, respectively,l the two jaws of a pair ofprinters tweezers, which jaws have their inner surfaces roughened attheir front ends, as usual, and are connected together near their rearends by transverse rivets, as shown. Near their rear ends said jaws areslightly recessed at their inner sides, as shown in Fig. 1, wherebyprovision is made for the necessary elasticity of the jaws and tonormally separate them from each other at their front ends. At their eX-treme rear ends said jaws a and b are recessed, as shown by broken linesin Fig. 2, to receive the head cof a bodkin c, which head is of a widthto closely it within said recess and is provided with projecting flangesc2 at its sides to overlap the outerv surfaces of the jaws at the edgesof said recess, as shown in Fig. 6. Said bodkin-head is thus adapted tobe inserted within said recess at the rear ends of the jaws either endforemost-that is to say, with the bodkin projecting outwardly, as shownin Fig. 2, or with the same projecting inwardly, as shown in Fig. l, alongitudinally-extending hole b (see Fig. 5) being made in the line ofjuncture of the jaws to Y receive the bodkin in the latter of saidpositions. In order to more securely hold said head in either of itspositions, Iprefer to provide the jaws with a hole b2, extending throughtheir line of juncture (see Fig. 1) and to slightly bevel their innersurfaces from said hole to their rear ends, as shown, whereby they arecaused to exert an outward pressure against the flanges c2 of the headand make a secure frictional contact therewith.

With the bodkin in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 2, the toolthus constructed is adapted to be used in the same manner as theordinary printers bodkin, and by reversing its ends the tweezers can beused in the same manner to pick up type. When the bodkinoccupies theposition shown in Fig. l, the tool can be carried in the pocket withoutdanger of injury to person or clothing.

It will thus be seen that I provide a combined tool which is of simpleand inexpensive construction and which is thoroughly effective for bothof the purposes for which it is designed.

I also provide means for locking the two members of the tweezerstogether when the tool is not in use, so that their front ends will beheld against separation, which means are as follows: To one of the jaws,as a, is secured an inwardly-projecting stud d at a point substantiallymidway between the two ends of the tool, which stud is provided at itsouter end with a forwardly-proj ecting lip or flange, as shown in Fig.3, or said stud may be simply notched in its front side, if desired. In

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the opposite jaw, as Z), is provided a hole c to receive said stud and arecess f in the inner side of said jaw, said recess being located infront of and colnmunicating with said hole. As herein shown, the recessis of circular form and of considerably greater diameter than the hole,which it intersects, as shown in Fig. 4. \Vithin said recess is locateda ring g of less diameter than the recess, whereby it is adapted to dropby gravity to a position in which it intersects the hole e, as shown inFig. 4, when the tool is held with its front end uppermost, and to moveto a position in which it clears said hole when the tool is held in thereverse position. Said ring is retained within the recess by a rivet 7L,the head of which covers said recess and is notched to conform to theoutline of the hole e, as shown.

To lock the jaws together by the means thus constructed, it is necessarysimply to press them together with the front end of the tool helduppermost, thereby causing the ring g to fall to t-he position shown inFigs. 3 and 4, in which position it engages the lip on the stud d. andprevents its withdrawal from the hole e, and to unlock said jaws it isnecessary simply to reverse the position of the tool and impart a slightinward pressure upon the jaws, thereby causing the ring to fall to itsopposite position, in which it clears the stud. Such locking andunlocking operations can he performed instantly and by simplemanipnlation of the tool with the thumb and fingers of one hand, and theunlocking action occurs when the tool is held in position for use withits front end lowermost. By providing the stud d with a plurality ofnotches in its front side the jaws can be locked with their front endsat varying distances from each other, for the purpose of clampingarticles of varying thicknesses between said ends, if desired.

lVhile I have shown and described the gravity locking device as being inthe form of a ring, I do not wish to restrict myself to such form, asthe particular shape of said device is not material to the invention solong as it is mounted upon its jaw in such manner as to operate bygravity to engage and be disengaged from the stud on the opposite jaw.

Then the jaws are locked together with the bodkin in its inoperativeposition, as shown 4in Fig. l, the tool can be carried in the pocketwith perfect safety.

Attention is called to the fact that, in addition toits function as anadjunct of the locking means, the stud (l in connection with the hole eserves as a guide to prevent lateral delection of the front ends of thejaws as they approach each other and compels them to accurately registerwith each other.

The locking means herein described is applicable to tweezers and similartools generally, and being located wholly at the inner sides of the jawsit leaves thc outer surface thereof unobstructed, a matter ofconsiderable importance in this class of tools.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A combined tool comprising a pair of tweezers and a printers bodkin,the former having at its rear end a recess and the latter having a headadapted to be detachably held in said recess and being provided withflanges to overlap the side walls of the recess, substantially asdescribed.

2. A combined tool comprising a pair of tweezers and a printers bodkin,the former being provided with means for locking its jaws together in aclosed position and having at its rear end a recess and a longitudinalhole or socket communicating with said recess, and said bodkin having ahead adapted to be reversibly held within said recess, substan iially asdescribed.

3. A pair of tweezers or similar tool having one jaw thereof providedwith an inwardlyprojecting stud having its front side notched asdescribed, and having its opposite jaw provided with a hole to receivesaid stud and with a movable locking device located at the front side ofsaid hole and adapted to fall by gravity into a notch on said stud whenthe tool is held with its front en d uppermost, substantially asdescribed.

il. The pair of tweezers herein described comprising the jaws a Z andmeans substantially as described for locking said jaws in a closedposition, and having at its rear end a recess and the hole 1)'communicating therewith, combined with the bodkin c having the head cprovided with the side flanges c2, substantially as described.

ERASTUS N. PARKER. fitnesscsz WM. Il. CHAPMAN, T. J. DEMOND.

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